YouTube Music, Spotify overtake local streaming platforms in S. Korea

Foreign platforms now hold 56% of South Korea’s music streaming users

YouTube Music and Spotify have overtaken domestic platforms to lead South Korea’s music streaming market.

According to app tracker WiseApp·Retail on May 13, the combined number of users for YouTube Music and Spotify reached 13.08 million last month, surpassing the 10.37 million users of local services Melon, Genie Music, and Flo. This marks the first time foreign platforms have taken a majority share, with 56 percent of users now on overseas services.

A year earlier, domestic platforms were still ahead, with 11.27 million users compared to 10.77 million for foreign services. Over the past year, foreign platforms have steadily expanded their user base and now lead the market.

Graphics by Chosun Design Lab Kim Young-jae

YouTube Music, now the top music streaming platform in South Korea, had 9.79 million monthly users in April. The service is bundled with YouTube Premium, which offers ad-free viewing for 10,000 won a month and includes music streaming at no extra cost. YouTube’s dominant presence in Korea, with more than 45 million monthly active users, has helped drive up subscriptions to its music service.

Back in 2021, YouTube Music had 4.03 million users, roughly on par with KT’s Genie Music. But over the past three years, it has surpassed all local rivals, including former market leader Melon.

Spotify, which entered the South Korean market in 2021, is rapidly expanding its presence. Since launching an ad-supported free tier last October, its monthly user base has more than doubled—from 1.42 million in April 2023 to 3.29 million in April this year—narrowing the gap with second-ranked Melon, which now has 6.01 million users.

Spotify is also reportedly in talks with internet giant Naver for a full-scale partnership. If included in Naver’s membership program, which has over 10 million paying subscribers, Spotify’s user base could grow even further.

Meanwhile, Melon, once the dominant force in South Korea’s music streaming market, continues to lose users. Its monthly user count dropped from 7.14 million in April 2023 to 6.01 million this year, a decline of over one million.